Construction and Set-Up of a Climate Models Matrix Rigger By Stephen Cook
Photo 1: The completed 12 Cell rigger SECTION 1: BOAT DESCRIPTION 1.1 Boat Specifications: 1.2 Project Description: This article describes the construction and set-up of a Climate Matrix Rigger. This will walk you through the building and joining of the hull, adding of the hardware, installing the motor and electronics and final painting. Climate hulls kits are generally all wood and laser cut for precision fit and easy building. 
Photo 2: Interior Layout SECTION 2: Hull Assembly The instructions that come with the kit are well written and easy to follow. The first thing that you need to do is assemble the main tub of the boat. The parts are individually labeled so all you need to do is find them and glue them up in the order described. 
Photo 3: Main Tub For the glue up I follow a two step procedure which I feel produces the strongest hull and provides the most adjustment. First I dry fit the two parts to be glued to ensure they fit right, some minor sanding may be necessary. Once I am happy with that I mix a small batch of 30min epoxy and apply it to the two mating sides. I then join the two parts and once they are positioned correctly I tack them in place with some CA. The CA locks the parts in place while the epoxy sets. SECTION 3: ADDING DECK SKINSThe first step is to add the nose cone to the tub. This is a block of balsa wood that you glue on the front and then sand to a bullet nose shape, following the tubs lines. Once that is done you can glue on the top and bottom decks. These are thin and flexible plywood sheets. First thing I do is sand the top and bottom surfaces of the tub to remove any uneven spots and any areas with epoxy build up. Its important the deck skins sit smooth so you can ensure a leak free boat. Once that is complete I mix up a small batch of 30min epoxy, apply it to the tub surface and position the appropriate deck plywood. I clamp the plywood in place with rubber bands positioned all along the length of the boat (Photo 4). Once the epoxy has dried, repeat the process with the other side of the boat. Once both sides are in place and dried, I again sand the hull sides to smooth them out and spend some extra time on the nose cone to blend the sheathing nicely into it (Photo 5). 
Photo 4: Bottom Skin | 
Photo 5: Top Skin |
SECTION 4: ASSEMBLE THE SPONSONSThe assembly of the sponsons might at first seem like a daunting task and although its arguable the most difficult step its really not that difficult. Since there are two sponsons you get to do this step twice, so when done you will be well practiced. First collect all the parts, each sponson consists of a foam core and 5 sections of plywood. Remember that there is a left and right sponson so dry fit the wood to the foam core to ensure you have the correct left and right parts (Photo 6). The first gluing stage will consist of adding 4 sections of wood to the foam core, the fifth section will be added after stage one has dried (Photo 7). This two step process allows you to sand the foam core down to the wood surface which is required because the foam is slightly oversized. As with the rest of the boat I use 30min epoxy and lots of rubber band clamps. Add the epoxy to the foam core, attach the wood, clamp, adjust, wait until dry. Then sand the foam down and glue on the last side. 
Photo 6: Sponson Parts
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Photo 7: Stage one |
SECTION 5: ADD THE BOOMSThis is a pretty easy step, you just slide the two fiberglass booms through the hull and measure both sides until they are centered. Once they are centered you glue them in place. Once again use 30min epoxy and apply it from the inside of the hull. After I get the epoxy in place I turn each boom to ensue a 360 coating and good fillet of epoxy around the boom. 
Photo 8: Boom glued in place | 
Photo 9: Complete |
Section 6: Installing the Running HardwareNow its time to install the motor mount, servo mount, rudder, strut and stuffing tube. In this hull the motor mount is an integral part of the hull so that part is done. Stuffing TubeFirst on the list is to install the stuffing tube into the hull. There are two articles on this site to help you out (Installing a Stuffing Tube and Tube Bending). I like to start by mounting the strut on the transom so that I have the height and length of the stuffing tube roughly known. (Photo 10). I draw diagonal lines from the corners and where they intercept is the transom center. With the strut mounted you can determine the distance from the transom along the centerline where you will cut the slot in the bottom of the boat, this is where the stuffing tube will enter. You want to minimize the bends in the tube so you don't have any driveline binding (Photo 11). The vendor of the hull will give you recommendations on where to locate the slot or you can bend the tube so its flows nicely and determine the spot yourself. 
Photo 10: Strut Mounted | 
Photo 11: Stuffing tube in place |
With the slot location determined and cut you can now epoxy the stuffing tube in place. Install the motor, tube and strut so I know everything is correctly located, moving a stuffing tube after its in place is not fun. First tape the bottom of the hull where the tube exits, this is so the epoxy you are about to add does not drip through. For adding the epoxy I like to make a small mote to both keep the epoxy in place while it dries and so the hardened epoxy has a finished shape and is not just a blob inside the hull. (Photo 11). To do this I just use some foam tape but there are lots of options to accomplish this task. ServoNext its time to mount the servo, you want to mount it so the horn, tie rod and rudder arm are as in-line as possible. To do so you must have your rudder mounted to the transom. The rudder location is determined by either the running hardware or based off the recommendation of the boat manufacture. With the rudder mounted, drill a hole in the transom in line with the rudder arm so you can bring the rod through into the hull. Attach the rod to the rudder and locate the servo front/back side/side in the hull. Look for a location towards the rear that will minimize bends and not be in the way of batteries and wiring. Once I settle on a location, I like to bolt the servo to a metal bracket, or screw it on to blocks of wood, which I then epoxy into the hull. You can also use Velcro or double sided servo tape to mount the servo but I find it flexes to much under load which causes poor or sloppy turning response (Photo 12-13). Once its mounted, attach the tie rod to the servo horn and give it a test. I attach the servo to the receiver and test it for free motion. You might have to increase the size of the hole in the transom to prevent binding during the servo motion. The transom hole is sealed with a rubber boot that should come with the hardware kit. (Photo 38) 
Photo 12: Rudder Mounted | 
Photo 13: Servo Location |
Turn FinThe turn fin is screwed to the back inside edge of the right sponson. This side of the sponson was made with thick plywood to provide strength for the mounting screws. The kit comes with a paper template for the turn fin which you trace on to a section of aluminum. I used .060 inch thick aluminum and cut it to shape. Remember to sharpen the outside leading edge, taper it back approx 1/8 inch for best performance. Section 6: PaintWith the hull assembled and all the hardware in place its time to lay some paint down on the hull. Start by removing all the hardware since you don't want to paint that. On a wood hull there are a few steps involved. First I spray the inside of the hull with a clear polyurethane. This seals and waterproofs the inside of the hull. Next I apply a coat of primer and with that dry I sand it with some 0000 wool. This allows me to quickly see any high spots, low spots and voids. I smooth and fill all these imperfections with some squadron putty. You might have to go thought this process a couple of times until you are happy. With the hull all smooth and all voids taken care of you can now apply your paint scheme. First you then have to choose your scheme, the choices are endless and limited only by your imagination. I'm going with a two color scheme and intent to create some matrix movie graphics to add to the sponsons (Photos 14-15) 
Photo 14: First layer | 
Photo 15: Second Layer |
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